Francisco Vázquez de Coronado Biography

According to some reports, he was the younger son of a rich aristocrat. Vzquez de Coronado had a great breeding, but no prospects of inheriting your family fortune. He rather sought to make it on his own in the New World. He got a position with all the authorities and was able to marry nicely. Vzquez de Coronado rose up within the colonial authorities, receiving an appointment to the governorship of Nueva Galicia. Narratives of gold and wealth situated to the north of Mexico had started to circulate in the 1530s. Explorer lvar Nez Cabeza de Vaca told story of seven golden cities of Cbola in 1536. The next year, Vzquez de Coronado was chosen by the viceroy to head a mission to help investigate these claims.

Vzquez de Coronado set out with about 300 Spanish soldiers and nearly 1,000 Indians. That July, the expedition encountered several Zuni Indians in what’s now New Mexico. Vzquez de Coronado and his men soon collided together with the Zunis and took over the Zuni village. Disappointed from the expedition’s failure to discover a gold city, he chose to send his guys out in different ways to inquire further. Before long, he along with his expedition had a falling out using the local folks over supplies. Vzquez de Coronado subsequently moved on in the springtime, heading east over the Pecos River. They continued their investigation through what’s now Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, before giving up their pursuit.

Back in New Spain in 1542, the disheartened Vzquez de Coronado returned to his responsibilities as governor of Nueva Galicia. He was removed from his place two years after, during an investigation into his expedition. Charged with several violations associated with his actions, including neglect of duty, Vzquez de Coronado was finally cleared on all counts.

Vzquez de Coronado, according to some accounts, spent the balance of his life in Mexico City. There, he served as an associate of the city council. Vzquez de Coronado expired on September 22, 1554. While he failed in his assignment to find the cities of gold, Vzquez de Coronado became among the very first European explorers to go to the American West. Mementos with this achievement are noted extensively; several cities and towns contain Coronado in their own name.